Car retarder



Aug. 16, 1932. J VARBLE ET AL 1,871,929

' CAR RETARDER Filed Aug. 26, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

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J. 'M. VARBLE ET AL CAR RETARDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 28, 1930 lnve'nlors JMm'rbk fl.. Lii'zaizzzazz M Allomey ll lllll Ill.

Patented Aug. 16, 1932 UNITED S A ES PATENTOFFEE JOHN M. VARBLE AND RICHARD A. S IHALTLTOLT, -61QAN'IION, OHIO; selnsrmmion as; V

I V SIGNOR T SAID vARBL r can RETARDER' T Application filed August 26, 1930. Seria1' N0. 477,946.

This invention relates to carretarders, that r is a device for handling and Classifying railway cars.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a car retarder for handling 'cars' and moreparticularly for controlling and classifying freight cars.

A still further object of the invention is" to provide a device of-the above mentioned 0 character especially adapted for use in connection with an electrical apparatus and lightin system also used for this purpose and em odying the subject matter of Patent No. 1,360,150, granted to Richard A. Cannon under date of November 23, 1920 Otherobjects and advantages of the invention willbecome apparent during a study of the followingdescri-ption, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein; p Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improved car retarder, the cover plate being removed- Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 2 -2 of Figure 1, the cover plate being shown in position. 7

, Figure 3 is a similar view taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 1,

Figure 1 is a perspective/view of a bra]:- ing or retarding bar. j

With reference more in detail to the drawings, it will be seen that 5 designates a base. The base 5 is provided with suitable integral supports 6 for supporting a portion of the rails R of a track designated generally by the reference character T and shown to advantage in Figure l. y

In order to grip the wheels of a car and apply pressure which will retard movement of the car along the track there has been provided brake bars 7 and 8 upon opposite sides of each rail. steel bars, which are substantially S-shape in cross section as suggested in the drawings and extend longitudinally of the rails, and have, their upper inwardly directed flanges 9 extending above the ball of the rail whereby the flanges 9 of the bars may contact the wheels of the railway car.

The bars 7 and 8 are adapted for movement toward and away from the rails and are These bars are in the form of supportedpn suitable guides 11 and 12 provided on opposite sides of each rail and supported on the upper end of transverse ribs 13 that extend transversely of the base 5 and in suitable spaced relation as will be mani-v fest; The lower or base flanges 10 of the brake bars rest on the guides 11 and 12.

As before intimated these brake bars are to be mounted for movement towardjand away from the rails and therefore the outerbars 7 are provided with bell cranks 13" and 14 secured to the flanges 10 of the bars by a suitable bolt 15 and to an operating rod 16 thatextends transversely across the rails; Each of the bars 8 has its flange 10 pivoted toone corner of pivotally mounted substantially triangular shaped plates 17 and 18, which..plates-17 and 18 are in turn pivotally connected at one corner to, anoperating rod 19 that also extends transversely of the track.

One end-of the operating rod 16is pivot ally connected to'a pivotally mounted substantially triangular plate 2() disposed at one side of the base :5, and acorresponding end of the operating rod 19 is pivotally connected to a substantially triangular plate 21,-like.- wise mounted on the same side of the base 5 as the platef20. Arhorizontally disposed arm 22 extends betweenthe operating rods 16and. 19 and parallel with said rods; To the outer end of the arin 22is rockablymounteda substantially .V-shaped plate 23 that at one end thereof hasaresilient' connection 24 with the free corner of the plate 20. The plate 23, intermediate its ends has, also acon-' s5, nection 251 similar to the connection 24: with one corner of theplate 21; suitable spring 26 is anchored at a fixed point adjacent the, side edge of, base 5v and has its other end operatively connected to. the arm 22.

Also mounted'toone side of the base 5 is a suitable pressure cylinder 27 that is suitably operated by means not 'shown,-from a point remote with respect to the track and cylinder27 has the piston thereof provided .5 with a suitable rod 28, theouter end of which has a link connection 29 with the plate 23;

It will be readily seen that the operating rods 16 and19 will be moved in a corresponding direction and moving the brake bars ;7 ,00

and 8 toward the rails R and into engage ment with the wheels of the car. The car wheels will therefore be engaged by flanges 10 of the bars 7 and 8 androtation of the wheels and movement of the car along the tracks willbe'retarded. p

Thegripping action will of course becontrolled by the amount of pressure in the cylinder and therefore it is apparent that the car cylinder 27.

In order to assure anniform gripping action of the bars 7 and 8 throughout their entire length, there are provided adjacent I each of thebars, and on opposite sides of the rails R aplurality-of springs 30. Each of the springs 30 is disposed at substantially a forty five degree angle relative to the support 6 and its braking bar, and each of the springs at oneend bear against an obliquely disposedlug 31 rising from the base 5, and at its 0pposite end each of the springs 30 is provided withnan-apertured lug 32 whereby the same may be connected to the flange 10 of a braking bar through the medium of a suitable fas tening bolt 83. Suitable spacer sleeves 34: are disposed about the bolts between the lugs 32 and flanges 10. V 7 The springs 30 being disposed at an approximately forty five degree angle relative to the support 6, the possibility of the spring breaking is reduced to aminimum.

Supported ina suitable manner on the base 5 and providing a protective covering for the spring and other movable parts of the apparatus associated with the base, is a metallic cover plate '35 of suitable construction and provided with suitable longitudinally extend-i ing slots 86 for accommodating the braking bars7and8w" -As before stated, this particular type of car retarder for use in terminal yards is especially adapted to be used in conjunction with a, lighting system forming the subject matter of the patent identified hereinbefore audit will be further seen, that a retarding device of this character provides a strong, durable, and-efficient; device for bringing freight cars to a stop and incontrolling from a remote point the freightcars when it is desired'to classify the latter.

Even though we'have here1n shown and described the preferred embodiment of our in vention, it is to be'understood that the same is'suscep'tible to changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention 'as'herein described, and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we .claim as new is 1. In a car retarding apparatus, and combination, a base,'arail support integral with said base, a rail on saidsupport, guides on said base at opposite sides of said support,

and at right angles thereto, wheel-engaging bars disposed transversely of said guides parallel to said rail on opposite sides of said rail,

each of said wheel engaging bars provided on .wheel engaging bars toward and away from Y said rail. may begradually forced toa stop or'quickly brought to a stop as may be desired, and dependent of course upon the pressure in the 4 guides in the recess at opposite sides of each of said rail supports, and a cover plate for said recess having slots accommodatingthe rails and brake bars. I a

3. A railway car retarder comprising in combination a base having spacedgparallel longitudinal supports for the rails,- and transverse supports for brake bars on; op posite sides of the rails, and'a cover plate having spaced parallel depending flanges resting on the base and transverse supports respectively, said plate in the top thereof being provided with longitudinal slots ac commodating the rails and brake bars. 4. A railway car retarder comprising in combination,shiftable brake bars on opposite sides of each of the'rails of the railway,

plate in spaced relation tothe-top of said base, and said cover plate provided with" slots adjacent the rails for accommodating the brake bars.

tures. r V

JOHN M. VARBLE' A V RICHARD A. SHANNON.

In testimony whereof we aifiri our signa- 

